Where will they pitch in 2019? With so many starting pitching prospects emerging in 2018, and the pending return of Anderson Espinoza in 2019, perhaps we can project forward and where they'll be next year. This is, obviously, barring off-season trades and possible losses to Rule 5.

Lake ElsinoreAnderson Espinoza
Adrian Morejon
Reggie Lawson
MacKenzie Gore
Osvaldo Hernandez
Luis PatinoOther possibilities: Aaron Leashar, Thomas Cosgrove. This team might opt to piggybacking starters at the beginning of the season. Or Espinoza might be held back until May to debut.

Holy crap those rotations are stacked. Seeing it on paper makes you marvel a bit.

Lake Elsinore rotation is on another level...a potential ace in every rotation spot. Will be attending some games up there next year for certain to watch those guys deal. Most curious about Espinoza to see if he can make a Paddack-like re-emergence.

Holy crap those rotations are stacked. Seeing it on paper makes you marvel a bit.

Lake Elsinore rotation is on another level...a potential ace in every rotation spot. Will be attending some games up there next year for certain to watch those guys deal. Most curious about Espinoza to see if he can make a Paddack-like re-emergence.

Morejon may start at Amarillo (AA) ... I'm certainly not sure.

Espinoza will probably have an innings limit similar to Paddack's this year ... 90 innings max. Paddack is probably a full go next year.

Using this criteria.Hitters are mostly rated by total hits, outs, extra-base hits, walks, strikeouts and stolen bases.
Pitchers are mostly rated by strikeouts, walks, earned runs, home runs and hits allowed per inning.
A few counting stats are included (IP, plate appearances, runs, RBI) to ensure that the players atop the list played a majority of the season.
The younger the player and the higher the level, the more weight each category is given. Therefore, a 19-year-old with an identical stat line as a 25-year-old at the same level will be ranked much higher. If a 23-year-old in Triple-A puts up an identical stat line as a 23-year-old in High-A, the player in Triple-A would be ranked much higher.

Gives you this:

12. Josh Naylor, 1B/OF, San Diego Padres | Padres Depth Chart

The offseason signing of first baseman Eric Hosmer certainly didn’t bode well for Naylor’s future with the Padres. Whether he had an MLB future at all, however, was already in question. First base prospects can’t just be good hitters. They need to mash, which is far from what Naylor did in 2017 (.761 OPS, 10 HR between Double-A and High-A). But a 20-year-old holding his own in Double-A is still interesting, nevertheless. So it was worth paying attention when he hit .379 with seven homers, five doubles, 13 walks and 12 strikeouts in April. He also spent most of his time in left field in 2018, adding a bit of versatility to his game.

Although April was his best month, by far, he still finished with an impressive .297/.383/.447 slash line. He’ll enter 2019 as a 21-year-old in Triple-A who has flashed some power (17 HR, 22 2B in 574 plate appearances) and above-average plate discipline (64 BB, 69 K).

A 21 year old is hardly pushing to be promoted. They can stash him for another year at least. Lots can happen in a year as the lineup takes shape and people show their true selves. Isn’t he still like 2 years away from being rule 5 eligible?

Longenhagen's chat yesterday mentioned Espinoza is not throwing and won't throw during instructs. Apparently both Gore and Morejon, who weren't on the original Instructs roster, have both joined the squad and might pitch tonight. Won't see Weathers tonight; not hurt or anything, but he's apparently been sent home with an off-season program. Marcano and Edwards should play, as will Naylor.